12 Stones?

What is 12 Stone Living?  It's a little tradition we do as a family.  I explained in my last post that we studied the life of Laura Ingalls several years ago in our homeschool.  After that, my kids and husband talked me into buying a camper and our first big trip was to the Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet, SD.  We also explored Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands since they were nearby. 

On the Ingalls' Homestead.  A fantastic place to visit with young children.

As a child in Illinois, we didn't travel much.  Most of our trips were back and forth to Arkansas to visit my grandparents, so hauling a camper so far out west made me nervous.  I did a lot of praying on that first trip and every trip since, and the Lord has protected us faithfully.  There was the time our hitch almost broke off our rusty van frame, almost sending our camper flying off into traffic.  There was the time our tire had a giant bubble in it by the time we reached Colorado.  There was the time part of the frame broke off the back of our camper, dragging metal along the interstate in a shower of sparks (right past a state trooper, I might add).  But every time, the Lord prevented a catastrophe and we've enjoyed amazing trips.  And I mean amazing.  The Lord's world is breathtakingly beautiful.  I watched a rainbow pop out over the Grand Tetons in the early morning before anyone else was awake.  We learned that bats can swim on the top of a mountain in Colorado.  We hiked with a herd of deer through a giant Sequoia grove.

Protection while traveling is not lost on me.  But I also wanted a tangible way for our kids to understand that God was with us in our travels.  We read Joshua 4, noting that the Lord also wanted a tangible way for the Israelites to remember what he had done for them. So now, as we travel along, we make a little pile of 12 stones wherever we stop and we pray and thank God for helping us travel that far.

Near Mt. Rushmore

On the Ingalls' Homestead

On the way to Yellowstone National Park

In Grand Teton National Park

At Grand Canyon National Park

I want the tradition of the 12 stones to be our way of life, not just something we do on vacation.  I want to be sure to see the Lord working in our day-to-day and give him glory.  He has never left us nor forsaken us.  Hopefully, that's what you'll see here at 12 Stone Living.